Six Nations 2014: England stroll as Scotland take backward step

Five minutes before kick-off at Murrayfield, local favourites the Red Hot Chilli Pipers chose to entertain the masses by blasting out their bagpipe-heavy version of Journey's soft-rock anthem Don't Stop Believin'.

It was perhaps, in retrospect, an inauspicious choice of tune. Within 10 minutes even those Scots who had arrived believin' - and that wasn't many - were draining of hope.

Before the half was up, things had got so bad that there was only disbelief - at the bungled line-outs, at the plague of penalties, of the panic to kick the ball away to nowhere on the few occasions it could be snatched back off the English.

Just 3% of the match was played in England's 22. Those are the sort of numbers that even ageing soft-rockers from San Francisco can understand as ugly.

They kept coming. Scotland lost five of their own line-outs, missed 27 tackles and conceded 16 penalties. The infamous parasitic worms that have wrecked the Murrayfield turf held onto the ball for longer.

These Calcutta Cup contests in Edinburgh's cold, damp embrace aren't supposed to be pretty. They often fail to produce a try. No-one really minds, because it is about the ferocity of rivalry and battle rather than sweet hands and swallow dives.

What they are not supposed to be is quiet, or a stroll, or an untroubled passage to unarguable victory.

England's 20-0 win
on a typically bleak Saturday evening was all those and more. That the margin could have been doubled without too much fuss was both a source of relief and pain for the chastened home support.

Both Luther Burrell and Mike Brown could have had other tries to add to their second in two championship matches. Replacement scrum-half Lee Dickson slipped with the try-line within reaching distance. Owen Farrell's uncertain footing and aim left nine points out there in penalties alone.

If that speaks of a little profligacy, it is almost the only criticism that can be aimed at Stuart Lancaster's men. If
last week in Paris
had been a case of what if and what should have been, this was a statement of what they are: a powerful and dynamic pack, allied to an increasingly exciting backline, linked by a scrum-half in career-best form and a fly-half whose distribution and dash continues to surprise his critics.

Not since the glory days of a decade and more back have England possessed a forward unit with as much potential and depth. As against France seven days before, Dylan Hartley was accurate and energetic, Courtney Lawes ferocious in the tackle, Chris Robshaw dogged at the breakdown.

None still were as eye-catching as Billy Vunipola - not just for his 16 carries, or the way that defenders seem to bounce off him or get dragged along, even if attached, like rugby's version of remora fish, but for his endless off-loads: back of the hand, round the defender, brain and ball always alive.

It produced possession at pace for England's half-backs to relish. Care, just as he did in Paris, kept that tempo high. Just as in Paris, he nailed a cheeky drop-goal; after his tap and go had led to a try for Brown then, so his run and pass into the angled run of Burrell brought England's first this time.

The backs have not always been the most conspicuous success of Lancaster's reign. With the pace of Jonny May and precocious running of Jack Nowell, the battering force of Burrell, the hands of Billy Twelvetrees and the continued dash and step of Brown, that may be about to change.

Scotland rugby supporters are not instinctive barricade-stormers; defeat has become an unwelcome but familiar habit. But in the dank Edinburgh air, among the well-heeled and naturally conservative, there was genuine anger at what their team have become.

Coach Scott Johnson admitted afterwards that the scoreboard had flattered his team. He also wryly admitted to a stiff neck from looking exclusively at one end of the pitch, which rather ignored the fact that his side were as trapped on their own doorstep in the first half as they were in the second.

Little that he has done this week has made much logical sense. Despite the sorry showing in Dublin last Sunday, the only forward he dropped was captain
Kelly Brown,
for a match that was crying out for his experience and leadership.

Those he did pardon gave him no excuse to do so again. Supporters can forgive rare lapses under extreme duress. Scotland instead made them incessant and rudimentary.

There was dog-legged defence. There were knock-ons and passes thrown into touch. There were spills, minimal thrills and plenty of bellyaching.

David Denton, almost alone among his team-mates, was having a decent game - more carries and more metres made with them than anyone else in a blue shirt. Johnson's response was to take him off with almost half an hour still to play.

There have been limited Scottish sides in the past. What they have almost universally managed to find for this fixture is a passion that has been transformative; witness the
rain-soaked battle in 2000
that both denied England a Grand Slam and dodged a Wooden Spoon, or the
15-9 slog in 2008
that humiliated an England team that had been World Cup finalists less than six months before.

Not this time. Maybe the old nationalistic certainties have been eroded. Second row Jim Hamilton, born in Swindon, plays for Montpellier; winger Tommy Seymour, born in the United States, played for Ireland at under-19 level. The coach is Australian and the forwards coach Welsh.

But these trans-border complications are not exclusive to Scotland, as
Hartley
or
Vunipola's
own routes into the white jersey illustrate. Once again, just two matches into the Six Nations, only a trip to Italy is likely to stand between them and further ignominy. New coach
Vern Cotter
cannot start soon enough.

And England? They will believe there is more to come, just as they may end this championship regretting that late loss to France even more than they do now.

Comments

Two parts to the answer (a) Mass participation like mass production is no guarantee of producing quality, almost invariably the reverse. (b) En has betrayed its sporting traditions of mass participation by scrapping Selectors and going down the coaching and elite squad route. In Rugby and Football only English qualified players in the Premiership really count..

Back in the 50s the RU was heavily based on Private Schools and Grammar Schools. Comp Schools generally played little serious Rugby or Cricket. But (unlike France and Eire) sport = schools. GAPs expanded and improved junior Rugby and Cricket. England won the RWC and became no.1 in Cricket. GAPs were scrapped and we have been struggling to build a system outside of the school tradition.

I did not say that RL men are 'not game'.. I was merely reflecting on the on-going problem of producing players of international quality 'from within'- and the consequent lack of real self-belief, in spite of the frequent accusation that "The English" are arrogant. As the current flooding crisis is highlighting there is a real sense of dislocation between 'grass roots' and 'the elite'.

@505.RugbymanThe shock should not be that Ireland are fitter, because the top 3 provinces are streets ahead of the top 3 Regions in terms of fitness, training and general ability, the real shock is how the hell did Gats get such a good team out of the rabble of the regions the last 2 seasons

Well I suppose there are other advantages in taking the successful foreign and proven international coach route. England have just gone for importing players from other union backgrounds and from RL. As in Cricket there has been some kind of perception that England can no longer produce real top quality from the grass roots. Too much Make do and Mend' & 'Muddling Through'

Hey 499 will, I've been banging on about this for a while. now and been ridiculed for it but I'll be very surprised if Sam burgess isn't playing 12 within the year. Imagine him with Manu, that would be very powerful.

I have to say that I like Twelvetrees.. The game has moved on but in some ways he reminds me of Paul Dodge, who was Clive Woodward's 'minder' when it was possible for someone as slight as Sir Clive to weave his way forward. Leicester, England and Lions. Of course at Leicester they played outside the incredible Les Cusworth, and this kind of player at 12 is much like playing with a second FH.

There are going to be some big selections for New Zealand. Assuming it is the second test as players will be missing for the first one. Main ones being, Lose head prop, Which Tom at 6? Who plays with Manu, the wings and the back replacements. Foden has to replace the useless Goode. Ford should come in for Barrit on the bench, who could play alongside Manu, unless they go 36.

I'm not sure that yarde and wade would get into the side currently given that they haven't shown enough thus far to warrant dropping the incumbents. I thought 12ts played very well on Saturday and the backs overall are much improved, although I accept the scots let them play. I personally would bring Youngs, Watson and ford onto the bench, Goode, barrit and Dickson are not impact players

@493+496.JengibreI see and agree with your point Sir, as much as Barritt Rocks we need a replacement who can cover FH and Centre. England could try Barritt to start and 12trees on the bench I guess...Unless we rely on Dickson as cover for 9 & 10. I've heard a lot about DWard but haven't seen that much of him myself. Quite a few people have said Ward too, hope England coaches give him a blooding.

@488 On the replacement hooker I'd go for Dave Ward, partly because of club loyalty, but also because of his fine performances in the HC this season. Although both are having better seasons than TYoungs.

@Wales, doubt there'll be changes for France. The big question may be who will partner AWJ in the 2nd row. Players back from injury could come in to change backs. WG wont change 7 to 8

@492 Not sure on the reason for bringing in Dan Baker. He's 6 foot 3 so its not for his height. They're possibly looking at some different combinations in camp. He could well move TF to the flank but that would be breaking the pattern and very radical for Gatland.

@488 No complaint with Barritt as a player, just IMO that he's not a player you can afford to have on the bench. He is not adaptable enough to cover multiple positions. At the moment England's backs replacements only cover 9, 12, 13 and 15. Again IMO. It is still a push to see cover @ 10 and on the wings. I hate to agree with Welsh fans, but Brown is not an international wing, great fb though.

Re Welsh back-row-- Either in starting line-up or off the bench, as Wales suddenly are back with a old-problem in the SR, shades of old solutions, bringing in a bigger-taller Number 8 and move Falateau to six. Surely he started there. Someone mentioned a call up to another number eight for training. Or go back to a Moriarty number six.

@487 I don't think he got back to his best after his long lay off with injury. He plays open and blind at RM which must have a bearing on his game. It should really expand his game you'd think. Given that SW and GJ have gone back to their regions probably for game time this week, that back row could be a possibility.

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